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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. chest — a box
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com